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2021 Virtual Annual Event

Thursday MAY 20, 2021 7-8:15 PM The mission of the Youth Advocacy Foundation (YAF) is to end the school- to-prison pipeline in Massachusetts by ensuring that our state's most vulnerable children receive a quality education through expert legal advocacy. By envisioning a future in which all youth enjoy the full rights and protections of a fair and equitable justice system, YAF works to decrease the risk of chronic court involvement and to increase the chance that young people grow into healthy, thriving adults through zealous legal representation, vibrant community-based services, and equitable access to quality education. YAF's EdLaw Project has been in existence since 2001 and has provided direct representation to over 2,000 children

The EdLaw Project exists to ensure that the most vulnerable children in Massachusetts--court-involved youth from low-income families, often with disabilities, and predominantly children of color--have equitable access to a quality education by providing legal representation in matters of school discipline, academic failure, and unmet special needs. EdLaw offers training and support to court-appointed attorneys across the state to help them incorporate education advocacy into their practice. EdLAw attorneys are organized by region, and support the 1000 person juvenile bar that represents the 20-25,000 kids involved in the child welfare or juvenile justice systems. By advancing education advocacy, the EdLaw Project seeks to address one of the root causes of the school-to-prison pipeline: children being pushed out of or failing in school. As a result of the work of the EdLAw attorneys, many children are remaining in school with the service they need to thrive. EVENT PROGRAM

Reconnection 2021: Closing the Gap Virtual Gala

MUSIC Moussa Segars & Israel Anselme Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra Musicians

OPENING REMARKS De'Lon Grant, MC Broadway Star, "Come From Away"

WELCOME Joshua Dohan YAD Director & YAF Board President

CLIENT STORY Eric Rentas & Olga Rivera

INTRODUCTION OF YAF/EDLAW STAFF Marlies Spanjaard YAF Executive Director

KEYNOTE SPEAKER Allison Feaster Former WNBA Star & VP of Player Development & Organizational Growth

CLIENT STORY Jalen Bing Wallace & Michelle Braxton

POEM Alondra Bobadilla 2020 Boston Youth Poet Laureate

AUCTION, RAFFLE, FUND-A-NEED

CLOSING REMARKS AND SONG De'Lon Grant : OUR PEOPLE

Our Board Ami Fatula Joshua Dohan, President Vanessa Hernandez Amy Feinman, Clerk Steven J. Pacini Theresa Flaherty, Vice President Katherine Hall Page LaKeisha M. Gandy, Treasurer Deb Poppel Jeremy Cohn, Emeritus Krishna Ramaswamy Edith Bazile Tim Sindelar Laura Bickel Bridget Treco

Our Staff YAF Marlies Spanjaard, Executive Director Michele Scavongelli, Deputy Director Jackie Stimpson, Acting Operations and Development Coordinator

EDLAW PROJECT Marlies Spanjaard, Director of Education Advocacy Michaela Bland, Skadden Fellow/Counsel Ashley Dalton, Equal Justice Works Fellow/Counsel Elizabeth Levitan, Counsel Erin Hehn O'Sullivan, Senior Counsel Michele Scavongelli, Senior Counsel

Event Host Committee

Peter Alvarez Ken Nordstrom David Apfel Katherine Hall Page Edith Bazile Ken Parsigian Laura Bickel Deb Poppel Jeremy Cohn Hank Phillippi Ryan Chris DiMeo and Robert Saoud Lisa Rechtschaffen Ami Fatula Alison Sclater Theresa Flaherty Jonathan Shapiro Vanessa Hernandez Randi Sterrn Gregg Katz Bridget Treco Amy Mariani LETTER FROM THE YOUTH ADVOCACY FOUNDATION

Dear Friends,

We are thrilled to “see” your faces as we come together, once again virtually, to reflect on a year like no other. The pandemic has been devastating to the education landscape for our clients. However, you all have stepped up for the children of Massachusetts and we couldn’t be more grateful! Together we continue our fight for education equity for the children of Massachusetts. Over the past year, thanks to your support, we have represented over 130 families, answered over 400 requests for assistance, and provided 45 trainings on education rights to over 1,000 participants, including parents, students, lawyers and youth-serving professionals.

The work to reconnect our clients to their education is going to take our continued focus and collaboration. We have seen first hand how the already alarming inequities and disparities in education were magnified by the COVID-19 pandemic. Massachusetts ranks in the bottom three states in terms of racial and ethnic disparities in educational attainment, as well as in juvenile arrest and incarceration rates. Black, Latinx and low- income students continue to more likely to be learning remotely as compared to their white peers in more affluent areas, resulting in greater learning loss and gaps in achievement.

Seventy percent of our children of color are coming out of fourth grade not proficient in reading or math. Although Black students make up only 9% of the student body statewide, 40% of the students who are handcuffed in school are Black. In Boston, a recent report found that Black students made up 1/3 of the student body but comprise 2/3 of arrests. Black students are too often treated as threats and not children, their voices ignored, and their pain dismissed as they are kicked out of the school building, physically restrained, and arrested.

Children and youth who are given a meaningful opportunity to succeed in school are overwhelming likely to go to college and/or into the work force. YAF’s main initiative, the EdLaw Project, is designed to assure equitable educational outcomes and will inevitably lead to a substantial reduction in the number of people imprisoned in our state and nation and to pathways out of poverty for families and communities of color. As we fight for education equity for the most vulnerable children in the state, your continued support is critical. We appreciate you joining in the fight and look forward to reconnecting in person in the near future. OUR EMCEE AND KEYNOTE SPEAKER BOSTON CELTICS VP OF BROADWAY STAR, PLAYER DEVELOPMENT & "COME FROM AWAY" ORGANIZATIONAL GROWTH DE'LON GRANT ALLISON FEASTER EMCEE KEYNOTE SPEAKER

De’Lon Grant is an actor and singer currently Allison Feaster is Vice President of Player performing on Broadway in the Tony Award Development & Organizational Growth for the nominated hit musical Come From Away. He Boston Celtics. She is a former professional spent three years touring domestically and player, a global citizen, and a internationally as Berry Belson in the Tony trailblazer in the sports industry who is highly Award winning musical Jersey Boys and was regarded for her leadership and teambuilding recently named Best Leading Actor at the 2017 skills. During her decorated college basketball IRNE Awards for his portrayal of Haywood career, Feaster was the first player in any sport Patterson in Kander and Ebb’s The Scottsboro to be honored as Player of the Year Boys; a role for which he also received an Elliot three times, leading the first-ever NCAA Norton Award Nomination. Division-I Tournament upset of No. 16 seed Harvard against No. 1 seed Stanford. She was a Some of his other credits include: Frederick first-round WNBA draft pick and went on to an Douglass in Douglass (The Wit Theatre, Chicago, 17-year professional playing career in the US, IL), Tod Clifton in Invisible Man (The Studio , , , and . Following Theatre, Washington, DC and The Huntington her retirement from playing in 2016, Feaster Theatre, Boston, MA), Jim in Big River (Lyric joined the NBA’s Basketball Operations Stage Company, Boston; Arkansas Shakespeare Management Development Program. After Theatre, Conway, AR; The Barnstomers, serving as the lead of Player Personnel & Coach Tamworth, NH), Achilles in Troilus and Relations for the NBA G-League, she joined the Cressida (Actors’ Shakespeare Project, Boston, Boston Celtics organization where she MA), Posthumous/Cloten in Cymbeline (Actors’ currently leads Player Development & Shakespeare Project, Boston, MA), Gaspard in A Organizational Growth. Beyond the court, Tale of Two Cities (The Wheelock Family Feaster serves as a co-lead for Boston Celtics Theatre, Boston, MA), Kaine in Dessa Rose (The United, the Celtics’ social justice initiative to New Repertory Theatre, Watertown, MA) and impact social and racial inequities in Black and Sawyer in Harriet Jacobs (Underground Railway Brown communities in Greater Boston. She Theatre, Boston, MA). maintains her role as an active public speaker, a champion of the advancement of women and De'Lon holds a Bachelors of Fine Arts in Acting girls, and serves as a global advocate for sport, from the University of Michigan and a Master in including serving as a Sports Envoy for the US Music with concentration in Musical Department of State, Bureau of Educational Theatre Performance from The Boston and Cultural Affairs. Feaster is a graduate of Conservatory of Music. (BA, Economics), the Universidad Europea (MBA), and Harvard Keep up with De'Lon at www.thedelon.com Business School (Exec Ed, Business of Entertainment, Media, & Sports). OUR OPENING MUSICIANS BOSTON YOUTH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA MUSICIANS

ISRAEL ANSELME MOUSSA GUEYE Israel is a 16 year old sophomore at Brookline Moussa is a happy-go-lucky 16 year old, who High School. He has been a member of the studies carpentry at Minuteman Regional Intensive Community Program and Boston Youth Technical High School. Moussa is a violist with Symphony Orchestra since he was 5 years old. the Intensive Community Program and the He loves playing the viola and the violin and Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra, and has been playing violin and viola since he was 5. He talking about his favorite pieces. He is an avid loves mentoring younger students and going to reader who plays sports and video games, and music camp in the summer. In his free time he if you can't find him he is probably binge- plays video games with Israel and also loves to watching anime. do tricks on his scooter. He frequently whistles while he works, to the joy of those around him.

2020 BOSTON YOUTH POET LAUREATE ALONDRA BOBADILLA SPECIAL GUEST Born and raised in Boston, MA for most of her life, Alondra Bobadilla found and nurtured her love for writing since she learned her first letters. Besides writing, she has participated in multiple performance art forms since she was a little girl, finding ways to express herself beyond poetry alone. She’s curious, lively and loves to learn. She spends her free time with friends and loved ones, always trying to put first the people that matter most. She is a student at Fenway High School, and was named Boston's first-ever Youth Poet Laureate in January 2020. Website: https://www.alondrabobadilla.com/

YouTube: www.youtube.com/user/ThePumpchick/ STUDENT STORIES

Eric Rentas & Olga Rivera

Eric was seven years old when he was repeatedly suspended from school. The suspensions were affecting Eric’s ability to learn, and they were even threatening his mother’s employment. Eric’s mother, Olga, had to leave work early to come pick up her son when the school suspended him. EdLaw got involved to stop the suspensions. We attended an Individualized Education Program (IEP) Team meeting to advocate for Eric to go to a new school, which could provide the services and accommodations he needed. The school district agreed to send Eric to a new, therapeutic program at the Team meeting. EdLaw also filed a complaint to challenge the past suspensions. As a result of our complaint, those suspensions were determined to be illegal, and they have now been expunged or removed from Eric’s student record. Eric is thriving in his new school, where he is in the third grade and performing above grade level. He has not been suspended since. STUDENT STORIES

Jalen Bing Wallace & Michelle Braxton

Jalen Bing Wallace became a client of the EdLaw Project when although he was in 11th grade, he was only able to read at an early elementary school level. She proactively had him elevated by a reading specialist who identified that he had a learning disability in that had gone undetected by his school district for many years. He was moved to a classroom that promised to provide the services he needed, but after receiving multiple reports from Jalen about the chaos and lack of discipline in the classroom, his foster mom turned to EdLaw for help.

Together, EdLaw attorney Michele Scavongelli and pro bono attorney Jeff Catalano of Todd & Weld advocated on Jalen’s behalf, including having the reading expert observe Jalen in class. She reported that given the gap in his skills caused by not receiving what he needed for so many years, his classroom was not equipped to bring his academic skills up to the level of college readiness. Jalen’s dream is to attend college and play basketball at a Division One school, with the ultimate hope of being recruited by the NBA. However, given the level of his academic skills he would not be able to succeed in college and something had to be done. Through advocacy on Jalen’s behalf, including pursuing a hearing at the Bureau of Special Education Appeals, we were able to secure a placement for him at a private school that specializes in teaching students with specific learning disabilities and tutoring from Lindamood Bell Learning Services. He started his tutoring in August of 2020 and attendance at the new school in September of 2020. While his public school district was still only providing remote education, he was able to attend the private school in person half of the time and his tutoring over the summer was also in person. Eight months later, Jalen has gone up in reading five to six grade levels and has become much more confident in himself not only for his athletic prowess, but for his academic prowess!

He will graduate in June and continue his tutoring with Lindamood-Bell over the summer. He plans to attend a post-graduate high school on a full scholarship next year where he can continue to build on the strong foundation he has received; he also hopes to be recruited by a college with a competitive basketball program. Jalen never gave up, never lost faith in himself, and with his positive and likeable demeanor motivated everyone around him to want to support this wonderful young man in his pursuit of his dreams. THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS PRESENTERS Thomas Boreiko and Alison Coolidge The Strek, Burns & Dohan Family

CHAMPIONS

Kenneth Parsigian & Susan Shay Mayer Treco Foundation THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS GUARDIANS Jeremy Cohn

Charles and Lael Chester

Julia and Randall Hesse

Deb Poppel

Michele and Peter Scavongelli ADVOCATES THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS PROTECTORS Edward Adler Lindamood Bell

Marcia Adler McClaren D'Agostino Team Shelby Marston Ainley Ken and Laura Nordstrom Mimmy Cooper Lia and William Poorvu Philip Davis and Susan Loucks Katherine Hall Page and Alan

Ellenhorn Hein

Greco Wealth Management Randi Sterrn and Carl Rosenblatt Randy Holmeen

Joseph and Peggy Kociubes Brigitte Senkler

FRIENDS Daniel Adler Golconda Partners Audio Innovations Roz and Herb Hill Rich Boutilier Laura Kunkemueller and John Adreinii The Carroll Group-RE/MAX Andover Amy and John Mariani Jeff Catalano McLane Middleton Donna Cuipylo & Timothy Watkins Eugene B. Meyer Liz DeBenedictis Mary O'Connell and Terrence Troyer Chris DiMeo and Robert Saoud Thomas and Sarah Reed Marc Dohan Todd & Weld LLP Mimi Dohan Tony Scavongelli/Homesite LaKeisha Gandy Sterling Partners Golconda Partners

SILENT AUCTION DONORS

Thank you to our generous Silent Auction donors. Please consider patronizing these donors on your next outing:

Amy's Sweet Solutions Katherine Hall Page Boston By Foot Katherine Hall Page & Alan Hein Boston Celtics Shamrock Foundation Kristin Taylor Cindy Rebinskas Leone Hinzman Crane Beach Trustees Mass Audubon Daniella Bonazzoli Melanie Vogel Deb Poppel Michele Scavongelli Discovery Museum Mona Dolgov Doug Treco Elaine Dohan Elements Massage Wayland New England Country Mart Fifield Lobster Priscilla Duffy Foley Electric Randi Sterrn Fran Sherman Rapscallion's Gregory Maguire Rick Muhr Hank Phillippi Ryan Stephanie G. Jewelers Henry Louis Gates Jr. StretchMed Jackie B. Stimpson Ted Rall Jamie Reiley The Cheesecake Factory Joe Schneiderman Total Wine & More

Feel like shopping? Check out our Silent Auction at yaf2021.ggo.bid PRO BONO PANEL Thanks to the efforts of our incredible Pro Bono Panel, 36 additional students have received education advocacy this year. Latham & Watkins LLP Anderson Kreiger, LLP Cory Lewis Melissa Allison Christopher Lloyd Annie Lee Lee Staley Eliana D. Vivier Sam Townsend

Choate Hall & Stewart LLP Liberty Mutual Insurance Company Peter Alvarez* Mary-Pat Cormier* Patrick Archimbault Kelly Crosby Jack Cinquegrana* Leigh Kenney* Kirsten Dooley Janet Nolan Lacy R. Giesecke Christa Parabicoli Julia Hesse * Jamie Sroczynski* Andrew Norkiewicz Conor O'Sullivan-Pierce McLane Middleton Robert Shames Susan E. Schorr Stefano Sharma* Reggie St. Louis Morgan, Lewis & Bockius LLP Gustav Stickley Alison Sclater, Pro Bono Counsel Melissa Waite* Ariane Baczynski Meg Ziegler Michael Blanchard Marjorie Crider* Foley Hoag Kristen Ferris* Rebecca Cabazon Bill Harb Rachel Davidson Laura Lerner* Christian Garcia Diana Li Laura McCarthy* Foley & Lardner, LLP Kelsea Medard Noah Brown Stephen Miklus* Tara Wilson Goodwin Procter LLP Zack Jacobson* Carolyn Rosenthal, Pro Bono Manager Tova Dardashty Nutter McClennen & Fish, LLP Shannyn Henke Melanie Woodward Gregg Katz* Leon Peschel Ogletree Deakins Sam Stone Lisa Stephanian Burton Lorenzo Cabantog Hinshaw & Culbertson, LLP Alyssa Aquino Proskauer Rose, LLP Marissa Delinks William Dalsen Kathleen E. Kelly Sofia Gorenstein Joseph P. Murphy Alexandra "Lexie" Reynolds Jordan Shelton John Hancock Addie Ireland Forster Todd & Weld, LLP Jeffrey Catalano Kirkland & Ellis LLP Solo Practitioners Kristina Cary Sean P. O'Neill Alex Roggio * James Steinhilber* Luke Schafer * * Worked on more than one pro bono case INDEPENDENT EVALUATION PARTNERS

Many thanks to our partners who provided independent evaluations to our clients:

Achieve New England Nathan Doty, PhD.

Lurie Center for Autism -- Massachusetts General Hospital Kirstin Birtwell, Ph.D. Lisa Nowinski, Ph.D.

Neuropsychological and Educational Services for Children and Adolescents Erin Gibbons, Ph.D. Stephanie Monaghan-Blout, Psy.D. Kathleen Pignone, M.Ed., CRC

Proven Behavior Solutions Tatiana Duarte, MS, BCBA, LABA Andrea Hendershott, MSEd, BCBA Lindsey Snider, MS, BCBA Scott Snider, MPA

Tufts Center for Children with Special Needs Cathy Mason, M.Ed. Kathleen Reilly, M.S., CCC-SLP Christine M. Sadowski, Ph.D.

Additional Practitioners Barbara Bruno-Golden, Ed.D. Carol Leavell, Ph.D. Lindamood-Bell Learning Processes

SPECIAL THANKS

The Youth Advocacy Foundation would like to thank the following individuals and organizations: Anthony Benedetti and CPCS, thank you for having the vision and leadership to invest in comprehensive representation and support of children. Youth Advocacy Division and Children and Family Law Division staff and private bar, we salute your passion and dedication in demanding justice for children and youth. Our wonderful YAF Board for all your guidance and generosity through the years. Our Host Committee for your steadfast support of this event, even as it moved dates and venue from in-person to on-line. Karen Souza and Kevin Lucchetti, for your financial guidance and patience. Thank you to YouthConnect, Justice Resource Institute, Home for Little Wanderers, Children’s Services of Roxbury, and the many other youth-serving organizations who partner with us to ensure that our state’s most vulnerable kids have access to the services and supports they desperately need. Our many partners on education-rights focused coalitions including: Children’s Law Center of Massachusetts, Mental Health Legal Advisors Committee, Greater Boston Legal Services, Center for Law and Education, Massachusetts Advocates for Children, Community Legal Services. Jeremy Cohn, for continuing to provide YAF with guidance and support beyond your many years of service on the board. Bob McDonnell and Alison Sclater, thank you for your steadfast support. Ken Parsigian and Shay Mayer, thank you for being our partners in this work for many years in all areas, legal and philanthropic. Citizens for Juvenile Justice, thank you for leading the charge to reform the Massachusetts juvenile legal system. Many thanks to the MA Child Welfare and Juvenile Justice Leadership Forum for your commitment to increasing equitable access to a bright future for all young people in the Commonwealth. Diana Howatt for continuing your commitment to this work well after your internship. Tim Sindelar and James Baron for your leadership of the “Massachusetts Attorneys for Students’ Education Rights” group. SPECIAL THANKS: EVENT EDITION

Without the following people our event would not have been possible:

Our Host Committee for your steadfast support of this event, even as it moved dates and venue from in-person to on-line. Thank you to Boston Youth Symphony Orchestra Musicians Israel Anselme and Moussa Segars for providing our pre-event music. De'Lon Grant for giving so generously of your time and talent to make this evening a smashing success. Allison Feaster for generously and graciously sharing her passion and story as our keynote speaker. Go Celtics!! Alondra Bobadilla, Boston's 2020 Youth Poet Laureate for gracing our event with your amazing talent and youthful perspective on the problems facing the youth we serve. Eric & Olga and Jalen & Michelle for sharing your stories in the hope that other students and families will learn that help exists. A huge thank you to Jackie Stimpson—stage manager, website editor, and video producer among the many roles you took on to pull this event off seamlessly, all the while balancing hybrid remote education for your 3 girls! Deb Poppel for being the creative spark behind our communications, the humor she brings to all of our meetings, stepping into the role of leading our Event Planning Committee and the hard work and networking she did on YAF’s behalf. Heartfelt thanks to Randi Sterrn and Chandra Lynch for designing, ordering & assembling the amazing "Proud Patron Packages"! A special shout out to Katherine Hall Page and Theresa Flaherty for everything you both did to make sure our silent auction was successful. Phylliss Hill, for guiding us into mobile bidding. And of course... Our Amazing Event Planning Committee: Laura Bickel Theresa Flaherty Katherine Hall Page Chandra Lynch Deb Poppel Randi Sterrn Bridget Treco

Without your many hours of attending meetings and continuous help this event would just be an idea. Thank you for believing that we could do this! MORE THANKS

To YAF and EdLaw interns:

Patrick Cremin, Harvard Law School Kate DiVasto, University of Pennsylvania School of Law Diana Howatt, Northeastern University School of Law Allisen Lowrance, Northeastern University School of Law Rachel Schaub, Harvard Law School Jordan Stevens, Boston University Erin Stewart, Northeastern University School of Law

Your passion, energy and support have been vital. We are a stronger organization because of your contributions.

A sincere thank you to the foundations that have been instrumental to the success of YAF and EdLaw:

Bank of America - Frank Reed and Margaret Jane Peters Memorial Funds Boston Bar Foundation The Celtics Foundation Chirag Foundation The New Commonwealth Fund Cummings Foundation Equal Justice Works & Greenberg Traurig Gardiner Howland Shaw Foundation Massachusetts Bar Foundation Nord Family Foundation Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Treco Foundation Skadden Arps

Coach Rick Muhr & Our Virtual Training Exper ience Runners & Walkers

Edith Bazile Jessica Berry Kristin Dunbar Ami Fatula Theresa Flaherty Tim Haley Ryan Healey Cheri Ingersoll Teresa Kimberley Jennifer McCarthy Cal Perez Deb Poppel Cindy Rebinskas Sam Reed Michele Scavongelli Marlies Spanjaard Jackie Stimpson

The Strek, Burns & Dohan Families are proudly committed to YAF's mission to end the school-to-prison pipeline

Josh Dohan,

Tonight we recognize and thank you for all you have given to mitigating the harsh and punitive aspects of our juvenile justice system in this Commonwealth and to envisioning and realizing a more humane, holistic, and effective approach to setting our young people back on track. It has been an honor to get to know you and to work alongside you as pro bono lawyer and board member -- and as friends, Ken Parsigian and Shay Mayer

2021

2021 Virtual Annual Event

Lael & Charles Chester are proud to support YAF's efforts to protect Massachusetts' most vulnerable youth.

Let's raise a quaff And toast to YAF*!

- Deb Poppel *only if you're 21+! Thank you to the YAF and EdLaw staff, the board, the host committee, De'Lon, Allison, and Alondra, and everyone who has donated their time, talent, and tireless work toward securing a brighter future for every child. - Michele and Peter ScaVongelli

Thank you YAF and EdLaw for all your work on behalf of our most vulnerable youth, and thank you Josh for your inspiring and visionary leadership. - Jeremy Cohn

The Youth Advocacy Foundation would like to thank our clients and their families for trusting us to advocate on your behalf. is a proud sponsor of YAF's 20th Annual Event

are proud supporters of YAF's fight against racism in schools.